


Camellia Otome

by FireflySong



Series: Pride Month Writing Prompt Challenge 2020 [22]
Category: Tales of Phantasia
Genre: F/M, Flowers, Fluff, just fluff and flowers, thats all this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24937699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireflySong/pseuds/FireflySong
Summary: When Chester goes out for a quick surveillance check before supper, he didn't expect the sight of the flowering tree in front of him. Arche interrupting though, that he certainly expects.Written for Day 22: Flowers of the Pride Month Writing Prompt Challenge over on tumblr.
Relationships: Chester Burklight/Arche Klein
Series: Pride Month Writing Prompt Challenge 2020 [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770988
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Camellia Otome

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you guys were looking foreward to some good old-fashioned fluff! cause that's apparently all i'm going to be writing this week. this particular piece is 100% inspired by a this comic [(1)](https://i.pximg.net/img-master/img/2020/05/12/13/17/52/81505572_p41_master1200.jpg)[(2)](https://i.pximg.net/img-master/img/2020/05/12/13/17/52/81505572_p42_master1200.jpg) and [this pic](https://i.pximg.net/img-master/img/2020/05/12/13/17/52/81505572_p43_master1200.jpg) by [鰆](https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/1620001) over on pivix. seriously, they are my fav archester and tales of phantasia artist ever and i love all their shit.
> 
> you can find me on tumblr at love-fireflysong if you feel so inclined!

Chester hadn’t know about the flowers until he had exited the forest where everyone had decided to camp and the tree was right in front of his face. He had only left the camp to do a surveillance check and make sure that there were no major monsters around that they had to be aware of.

It was truly a mesmerizing sight. The camellia tree was in full bloom, it’s pearly pink flowers stunning against the vivid green leaves. So he couldn’t help himself, he walked up to the tree and cupped one of the flowers in his palm, careful not to damage any of the beautiful petals. Nearly as large as his hand, the flower itself was almost perfectly round with rows upon rows of rounded triangular petals encircling the others.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen such beautiful flowers. 

“Hey! Chester!” 

He turned to look over his shoulder, never removing his hand from the camellia, and blinked at the sight of Arche flying towards him on her broom.

“There you are. Thought some monsters had managed to eat your ass. Not that you’d be an appetizing or filling meal anyway.”

Chester didn’t even respond, shrugging and turning back to the flowers. Arche landed next to him, and gave him a worried look. “You okay, Chester? Not like you to be quiet like this... you’re normally more loud-mouthed than anyone can handle.”

“Takes one to know one.”

It seemed to lessen the worry in Arche’s face, falling closer to confusion until she turned at looked up at the tree. Her expression changed entirely to one of awe. “Oh, wow. Can’t believe _you_ managed to find a sight like this.”

“Says you. I have the eyes of an eagle I’ll have you know.”

“Sure, the eyes of an old, decrepit, half-blind one maybe.”

“Still leagues better than yours I bet.”

The two of them trail off as they chuckle side-by-side, eyes never leaving the delicate pink flowers above them.

“Seriously though, these really are beautiful.” The wonder in her voice makes Chester’s lips quirk up in the smallest of smiles.

“Yeah. They sure are.” He doesn’t have to look at her when he says it, he’s noticed that the colour of the petals is almost the exact same shade of her hair. But as he feels her reach for his free hand and tangle her fingers through his, he knows that she understood him anyway, and he doesn’t hesitate to return the gesture. 

Chester doesn’t say a thing about it, and he knows that she won’t either. He’s not stupid, and as much as he enjoys making fun of her, she’s not either. They both know that they’re on the cusp of something, have been for a while now. Their private banter has taken on a more light-hearted teasing, and he’s sure that the others have noticed by now, but they always take watch together when they can. They don’t do much of anything to be fair, he spends virtually all of it practicing his shooting. But she spends it just sitting nearby and talking to him. 

That’s all they do on those nights: just talk. They talk about Arche’s life back in the past, about her father and mother, about Rhea, about how she was the first person to treat Arche like an actual person and not condemn her for her half-elven blood. They talk about Chester’s life before Dhaos. He tells stories about growing up with Cress, about what little he can remember of his own parents before they died. And on the nights when the memories don’t sting nearly as much, he’ll even talk about Ami.

They’ve come close once or twice, to breaching whatever this thing between them is, but always falter back just before crossing the line. They’re both too scared of what will happen. Not scared of what will change between them, but scared of what’s going to happen after Dhaos is defeated and they both have to go back to their own time. For Chester it will only be at most a couple of months before he sees her again, but it’s different for her. Arche will have to wait a hundred years, and so much can change in that time. The feelings could very easily fade with all that uncrossable distance between them, and it would be unfair for her to be forced to hold onto them during all that time. So, they never mention it. It’s an unspoken agreement between them.

Whatever this _thing_ is between them, they can talk about it after all is said and done.

“So what did you come out here for anyway?”

“Huh?” Arche blinks for a second, too stunned to answer, but recovers quickly with a scoff. “Wanted to make sure that you didn’t wander off too far and get lost.”

Chester rolls his eyes and gives her an unimpressed look. “Yeah, and then I’d have to go looking for you. So what’s the real reason?” 

She glowers at him in return, but sighs in resignation, dropping his hand as she readies her broom. “Supper’s ready. It was Suzu’s turn to cook tonight, so she made some Miso Stew.”

Chester nods, and makes a move to go back to where everyone’s camped for the night, but pauses instead. Arche’s forehead creases in confusion and then shock when he reaches into the pouch he keeps his fletching materials and pulls out his knife. She watches wordlessly as he effortlessly cuts the flower he had been holding onto from its branch and hands it to her.

“Well, let’s go then.” He knows his cheeks have turned a shade much darker then the flower, and likewise, her hair. Neither mention it. “Cress and Claus love that stew, so there won’t be much left if we don’t hurry.”

Arche nods quietly next to him, and gets on her broom to fly ahead of him, keeping the camellia clutched close to her chest protectively. When he arrives back at the camp, he pretends not to notice her talking to Mint and asking if there’s a spell she can cast to keep the flower alive and healthier longer.

It’s fine. It’s just one more thing they can talk about when all of this is over.


End file.
